Like Iron Sharpens Iron
Children's sermon
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Object:
Scripture Reference
Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.
-- Proverbs 27:17
Materials Needed
Card stock printed with scripture reference and verse
Assistant
Telling The Story
Good morning! I'd like to introduce you to my friend, (name). (Name) and I met (where and when). Do you know what I like about (name)? (List three or four things about the assistant.) Something else special about (name) is that if I asked him/her to pray for me, I know that he/she would. He/she helps me grow closer to God because he/she is close to God. When I see (name) doing what God wants him/her to do, then I'm encouraged to do what God wants me to do, too.
You've probably heard the story of Solomon. After Solomon became king of Israel, God made Solomon the wisest man in the world. Do you know what the wisest man in the world says about friends? (Show card stock and printed with scripture reference and verse and read it.) In Proverbs 27:17, he wrote, "Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another."
Iron is a sturdy metal that is used to make beams for buildings, tools, furniture, and more. An ironworker might heat the metal to make it softer or use one piece of metal to sharpen another piece to make an axe or a blade for a plow. In this verse, Solomon is comparing the way two pieces of ironwork together to the way two people influence each other.
Proverbs 27:17 is an amazing verse because it's both a promise and a warning. Solomon realized that the people around us have a great influence on us. Sometimes we don't get to choose who we spend time with, but when we do, we need to be careful.
Christian friends, like (name), will help us grow closer to God because they'll pray for us. Sometimes we study about God together. Even when we aren't studying or praying together, our Christian friends won't suggest doing sinful things together. Think about a Christian person you know. Has that person ever suggested robbing a bank together? No.
Proverbs 27:17 promises us that if we spend time with people who are following God, those people will influence us to be followers of God. People who don't follow God can sometimes pull us away from God. Imagine someone offering you drugs or suggesting that you shoplift from a local store. Sometimes their suggestions pull us away from God more slowly, but they still pull us away. What would you do if a friend invited you to watch a television program that you know God doesn't want you to watch?
Proverbs 27:17 warns us that people who don't follow God pull us away and that we need to be very careful about their influence. Does this mean that you shouldn't be friends with someone who doesn't follow God? No. Remember that Proverbs 27:17 is a promise, too. Just as our Christian friends influence us to follow God, we can influence our friends to follow God. We just have to be careful with those friendships.
Instead of going to a friend's house when you know that friend is alone, invite your friend to your house when your parents are home to supervise. Ask your friend to come along when a group of Christian friends are doing something together or to an activity at church. Suggest a different television show. Loan your friend a book that your parents have approved. Talk to your parents or your pastor or your Sunday school teacher if a friend asks you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. If you're careful about your friendship, then you can be the "iron" that sharpens your friend.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for this beautiful day, and thank you for giving Solomon the wisdom that he shares with us in the book of Proverbs. Please give us the wisdom to look for friends who will help us to grow closer to you and to be a good influence on our friends, too. Please also help us to know when to ask another person for help with a friendship so that we can careful not to be pulled away from you. Thank you for loving and helping us so much.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.
-- Proverbs 27:17
Materials Needed
Card stock printed with scripture reference and verse
Assistant
Telling The Story
Good morning! I'd like to introduce you to my friend, (name). (Name) and I met (where and when). Do you know what I like about (name)? (List three or four things about the assistant.) Something else special about (name) is that if I asked him/her to pray for me, I know that he/she would. He/she helps me grow closer to God because he/she is close to God. When I see (name) doing what God wants him/her to do, then I'm encouraged to do what God wants me to do, too.
You've probably heard the story of Solomon. After Solomon became king of Israel, God made Solomon the wisest man in the world. Do you know what the wisest man in the world says about friends? (Show card stock and printed with scripture reference and verse and read it.) In Proverbs 27:17, he wrote, "Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another."
Iron is a sturdy metal that is used to make beams for buildings, tools, furniture, and more. An ironworker might heat the metal to make it softer or use one piece of metal to sharpen another piece to make an axe or a blade for a plow. In this verse, Solomon is comparing the way two pieces of ironwork together to the way two people influence each other.
Proverbs 27:17 is an amazing verse because it's both a promise and a warning. Solomon realized that the people around us have a great influence on us. Sometimes we don't get to choose who we spend time with, but when we do, we need to be careful.
Christian friends, like (name), will help us grow closer to God because they'll pray for us. Sometimes we study about God together. Even when we aren't studying or praying together, our Christian friends won't suggest doing sinful things together. Think about a Christian person you know. Has that person ever suggested robbing a bank together? No.
Proverbs 27:17 promises us that if we spend time with people who are following God, those people will influence us to be followers of God. People who don't follow God can sometimes pull us away from God. Imagine someone offering you drugs or suggesting that you shoplift from a local store. Sometimes their suggestions pull us away from God more slowly, but they still pull us away. What would you do if a friend invited you to watch a television program that you know God doesn't want you to watch?
Proverbs 27:17 warns us that people who don't follow God pull us away and that we need to be very careful about their influence. Does this mean that you shouldn't be friends with someone who doesn't follow God? No. Remember that Proverbs 27:17 is a promise, too. Just as our Christian friends influence us to follow God, we can influence our friends to follow God. We just have to be careful with those friendships.
Instead of going to a friend's house when you know that friend is alone, invite your friend to your house when your parents are home to supervise. Ask your friend to come along when a group of Christian friends are doing something together or to an activity at church. Suggest a different television show. Loan your friend a book that your parents have approved. Talk to your parents or your pastor or your Sunday school teacher if a friend asks you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. If you're careful about your friendship, then you can be the "iron" that sharpens your friend.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for this beautiful day, and thank you for giving Solomon the wisdom that he shares with us in the book of Proverbs. Please give us the wisdom to look for friends who will help us to grow closer to you and to be a good influence on our friends, too. Please also help us to know when to ask another person for help with a friendship so that we can careful not to be pulled away from you. Thank you for loving and helping us so much.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
